1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a communications terminal, server, playback control method and program, and more particularly, to a communications terminal which acquires content via communications, a server which provides the content to the communications terminal by communications, and a method and program for controlling playback of the content.
2. Description of the Related Art
Mobile telephones which download various types of content, such as images, sound information or text information, via radio communications, and then playback such content, have become widespread.
Incidentally, it is known that two-dimensional barcodes, such as a QR code (registered trademark), are used when downloading content.
For example, Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2002-118680 discloses a method that a general user can obtain readily detailed information relating to an advertisement placed on a network, by reads the two-dimensional barcode, which is printed on an advertising medium distributed to the general user, into a mobile telephone of the general user.
On the other hand, it is also known that the playback of content is restricted.
Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2002-203070 discloses a method that confirms whether or not the decryption key is present in a home memory when an encrypted content is received from a server, and then requests the decryption key from a server if the decryption key is not present.
Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2002-94500 discloses a device that reads in conditions for which playback of data is permitted, such as the devices, date and time, time period, and the like, from a recording medium in addition to the data to be played back, and then permits or restricts the playback of the data which is read from the recording medium in accordance with the conditions read in from the recording medium.
Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2002-123801 discloses a system which defines conditions, reception restrictions, and the like on a broadcasting side, delivers the definition details together with content to a receiving side by broadcast, and then controls for viewing or listening to a viewer or listener according to the definition details, so as to protect the copyright of the creator.
However, when playing back content, which is downloaded corresponding to two-dimensional barcode from a prescribed server by reading in a two-dimensional barcode to a mobile telephone, on the mobile telephone, the user has to wait from the start until the end of downloading the content, generally.
Particularly, when the content is downloaded via radio communications, it takes considerable time to access the relevant server and download the content, compared to wired communications. Therefore, there is a problem in that a long waiting time is required until the content starts to be played back. In addition, the radio communications by a mobile telephone depends on the communications environment, and then it may not be possible to download content depending on the communications environment. Therefore, it may not be possible to playback the content.
Furthermore, a moving image playback device, conventionally, stores a permitted frequency of playback and the playback validity term within the moving image content, in the case in which the playback is limited in terms of the permitted frequency of playback and the playback validity term. In the case in which a permitted frequency of playback and a playback validity term are stored inside the moving image content in this manner, when the permitted frequency of playback or the playback validity term are to be changed, it become necessary to recreate the actual moving image content. If the moving image content is then recreated, it becomes necessary to download the moving image content to the playback device, again.